Native trade goods of the Caribbean

Aside from sugar cultivation, were there any truly valuable trade goods that could be extracted from the region around northern Brazil, and the Caribbean rim in general. Not to spoil anything, but the culture I’m using for colonization will be pretty tightly integrated into native economies, at least initially, and has a long history of using various poisons, so taking something from the natives/ exploiting some weird deep jungle thing, are not out of the question
 
There's salt, which is highly valuable for food preservation (particularly fish). Trinidad also has Pitch Lake, which provides a useful naval store, and coca can also be grown.
 
Chilli peppers have some value, if they can be stopped from being grown in Europe.

Vanilla, although that's along the Caribbean coast of Mexico only, unless someone figures out hand pollination.

Long-staple cotton and tobacco are also good cash crops for the region.
 
Aside from sugar cultivation, were there any truly valuable trade goods that could be extracted from the region around northern Brazil, and the Caribbean rim in general. Not to spoil anything, but the culture I’m using for colonization will be pretty tightly integrated into native economies, at least initially, and has a long history of using various poisons, so taking something from the natives/ exploiting some weird deep jungle thing, are not out of the question
Question. Before or after the European contact? because the European contact is the one that bring the Sugar to America.
 
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Here's a summary of pre-Colombian trade through out the Caribbean. The paper looks like it's from the 1950's so it's seriously out of date but it's the first one I found that seems reasonably scientific. I think some of the conclusions have probably been overturned with new archaeological evidence but it does give lists of common pre-Colombian trade goods and routes.
http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/kas001-006.pdf

The Greater Antilles region (i.e., Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas) was an area characterized by active commerce in our sense of the term. Individuals and groups traveled by canoe from village to village, from province to province, and from island to island. Certain localities specialized in particular products; for instance, gold in Hispaniola, wooden bowls in La Gonave. The principal items of internal trade were manioc, pepper, stools, wooden bowls, pottery, gold and carved stone objects.

All along the north coast between Trinidad and Colombia there was very active local trade, both by water between neighboring coastal peoples, and overland between the coast and interior. The coast tribes bartered pearls, salt, fish, cocoa, strings of shell money, cotton and- tobacco for the gold, jewels, guanin necklaces, maize and slaves of the interior.
 
At the top of my head before European contact

Gold
Slaves
Peppers
Cocoa
Vanilla
Pottery
pearls
cotton
Tobacco
Salted fish
Sunflower Seeds and oil from the same
Pineapples and Ananas
Salt
Squash
Dried fruits and vegetables
Avocados
Potatoes
Chicle
 
Just adding to the list

Sisal and henequen
Rubber
All spice
Sweet potato
Yam
Manioc
Rice
Soy
Bread-fruit tree
Banana
Pawpaw
Coconut
Carambola
Guayava
Tamarind
Coffee
Tea, to a lesser degree
Chili pepper
Black pepper
Cinnamon
Anatto
Oil Palm
Iron
Petroleum
Hard woods

And if we’re including animals, most do very well in the Caribbean

Muscovy duck and eggs
Turkey
Chicken
Duck
Geese
Cattle
Pigs
Goats
Sheep
 
Birds in cages aren't that hard

The problem is the weight-profit ratio: with live animals you not only have to account for them, but the extra fresh water and food that's required to feed them. Especially since the trade is mainly canoe-based, as opposed to larger ships with dedicated enclosed cargo spaces, there's also the issue of exposure to the elements. Sure, you can do it, but would it really be in sufficent qualities to be worthy of being called a major trade good?
 
More:
Obsidian
Jade
Rubíes(from Colombia)
Niquel and Cobalto from Cuba as pigment( I know rhey could be used as pigment but I'm not sure to what color)
Lead or Chalk from Venezuela as white pigments
 
Yaupon (relative of yerba mate) is as good as anything, since it has good caffeine/theobromine content (and tastes pretty good too). It was exported as far north as Cahokia from its native range in the Deep South (and it apparently grows in Chiapas too). Also yerba mate itself, although getting it from its native range in the Paraguay region to the Caribbean might be a bit challenging. Each could be grown in a far wider range than OTL.
 
The problem is the weight-profit ratio: with live animals you not only have to account for them, but the extra fresh water and food that's required to feed them. Especially since the trade is mainly canoe-based, as opposed to larger ships with dedicated enclosed cargo spaces, there's also the issue of exposure to the elements. Sure, you can do it, but would it really be in sufficent qualities to be worthy of being called a major trade good?
Well considering by the 1500's Turkeys largely replaced peacocks as a major meal, it helps turkeys taste a whole hell of a lot better than peacocks
 
Well considering by the 1500's Turkeys largely replaced peacocks as a major meal, it helps turkeys taste a whole hell of a lot better than peacocks

I only had peacock once, it had too much sauce on it for me to be sure, but it was kinda turkeyish.
 
I only had peacock once, it had too much sauce on it for me to be sure, but it was kinda turkeyish.
Historically that is why Turkeys became a major table fair for Europe and later Asia. By the 1600 guinea pigs would be popular pets as well. Animals are worth trading
 

Deleted member 67076

Add Bauxite to the list as well.

Tbh given the vast diversity of options to export (and potentially manufacture), it feels as if sugar held rhe Caribbean back more than anything.
 

TruthfulPanda

Gone Fishin'
Re turkeys - I've seen the English Queen Anne attributed with describing it as "stupid bird - too large for one and not enough for two".
 
Weren't grown in the Caribbean.
Just adding to the list

Sisal and henequen
Rubber
All spice
Sweet potato
X Yam
Manioc
X Ric
X So
X Bread-frui tree
X Banana
Pawpaw
Coconut
Carambola
Guayava
Tamarind
X Coffe
X Tea, to a lesser degree
Chili pepper
X Black pepper
X Cinnamo
Anatto
Oil Palm
Iron
Petroleum
Hard woods

And if we’re including animals, most do very well in the Caribbean

Muscovy duck and eggs
Turkey
Everything marked with an X is Old World
Add Bauxite to the list
??? Does bauxite have any use before widescale cheap electricity?
 
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